Edward Klink

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Well they finally got it. Scientists call her architeuthis, the ancients knew her as the Kraken, and to the culinary-inclined, well she'd sure make one monstrous plate of calamari. I'm talkin' 'bout the giant squid. With eyes the size of dinner plates, the world's largest invertebrate can grow over 60 feet in length and weigh over a thousand pounds. These beasts live thousands of feet beneath nearly every ocean on the globe and possess enough gumption to give predatory sperm whales a good fight. The giant squid truly rules its immense domain.

I was first fascinated by the giant squid as a kid when I saw an exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. How could it be that no scientist had ever seen one alive? In a way, I rooted for the elusive creature and hoped it might continue to evade us. But capturing architeuthis on camera has always been a Holy Grail of oceanography, and now it's been done. Check out these amazing--and creepy--images of the first giant squid ever filmed.

{ Posted By edward } { 7:46 AM }

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

So the other night after a crazy, hectic weekend of soccer games, lawn mowing, washing the siding, etc. we decide to make a nice meal of grilled sausages, German potato
salad, sauerkraut, and fresh bread. Nothing like having an epicurean plan.

First I poured four cans of Heineken into a pot on the stove, added the sausages, and brought it to a nice boil. Then I fished those plump little fellas out and plopped them on my trusty Weber grill to finish them with a little sizzle.

Humming a happy tune I went back in the kitchen to check on the sauerkraut and dish out some potato salad. Suddenly my Spidey sense tingled and looking up I saw thick black smoke darkening the window. Dashing outside I was horrified to see the entire grill engulfed in flames! It looked like a funeral pyre, and the sausages were all but invisible behind a wall of crimson rage.

There was no time to lose. Running right up to the inferno I braved the intense heat and twisted the propane tank shut off valve fully expecting at any moment to be blown to smithereens. Then I retreated to the kitchen, snatched the extinguisher, and darted back out the door to face the fire which was dancing higher in intensity. I pulled the pin, aimed the nozzle at the base of the flames and let 'er rip.

The snow-like foam blasted the the very life from the fire, and the smoke slowly cleared to reveal a chemical-covered grill, the once delectable sausages now charred and covered in foam.

So then as the sun set I took the grill apart and gave the entire thing a good cleaning before reassembling it. After drying it, I pushed the started button and prayed. Whump! It started right up again. The beast pulled through. I had been dutifully cleaning the grease pan on the year-old Weber, but apparently grease had built up along the inside walls of the grill and finally burst into flames.

Naturally, I'm going to replace the extinguisher, I understand they're really only good for one use.

{ Posted By edward } { 12:06 PM }

Monday, September 19, 2005

I'm back from a four day relief mission to Katrina-ravaged Mississippi. Our town collected a tractor trailer load of relief supplies, and a generous local company donated the rig and the services of two drivers. I was in the "chase vehicle," a Ford Expedition, along with my cousin Michelle (a firefighter), her husband Joe (a police sergeant), and his friend Ted (a former Special Forces medic). Our vehicle was outfitted with survival gear, food, water, and extra fuel.

We drove 19 hours straight from New Jersey to Jackson, Mississippi, where we met our contacts, a captain from the local sheriff's dept. and leaders from a local church coordinating relief efforts. We unloaded half of the truck, and the pastor asked us if we would take on additional supplies and bring them to Gulfport. We hadn't slept in 24 hours but we'd come this far so we cracked some Red Bulls and rolled out. It was another three hours into Gulfport and the destruction on the coast was mind-numbing.

The people there have nothing. Houses and business washed away as far as the eye can see. As we unloaded the rig at a makeshift relief center, folks were so thankful. They're desperate for the basics. We distributed water, clothes, toys, baby supplies, bicycles, and household goods. I told one man there that our tractor trailer load felt like a drop in a bucket and he replied, "It is a much needed drop." Beneath a scorching sun, old and young alike are working side by side in the relief center sorting and organizing supplies and distributing them to the endless lines of people in need.

We also paid a visit to the police who are working out of a ruined school, and gave them boxes of donated uniforms. The officers there are shell-shocked. They are augmented by the military which is out in force with roadblocks, checkpoints and helicopters. There is an 8 PM curfew in effect, as it is the only way to control the night.

I'll post more photos soon.

(Left to right: Ed, Michelle, Joe, and Ted. Photo by K. Klink)

{ Posted By edward } { 7:41 AM }

Sunday, September 11, 2005

{ Posted By edward } { 8:32 PM }

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Apparently, the French Quarter is relatively dry and unscathed. But that doesn't make it much more appealing given the grim scenes that are still unfolding.

We're seeing plenty of images of how New Orleans looks now, but to me, N'Awlins meant food! This time last year I was in the French Quarter for a family reunion steamboatin' trip that took us up the mighty river on the Mississippi Queen. While around Bourbon Street we enjoying soft shell crabs, jambalaya, fried catfish fillets, 'gator gumbo, red beans and rice, all served up with some fantastic local hospitality and washed down with some local brews.

{ Posted By edward } { 2:00 PM }